Stay Out or In
by scorpioryo
Summary: Don't go... Don't come... Please... Don't...
1. The Dare

**Stay Out or In**

**A/N: Ah, Halloween… I've been planning this story almost all year. This is one of the greatest holidays of the year! And now, let the insanity begin.**

**I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or anything else famous that people may have heard of before reading this. This is rated T for TEEN due to some language, blood, and frightening images. People of the internet, you have been warned. Happy Halloween!**

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_**Chapter 1: The Dare**_

The weak rays of the early morning sun crawled through the plastic blinds, and shined on a young face. The owner of the pale skin winced, and then rolled around in his cocoon of blankets and sheets so his long white hair faced the bright intruder instead of his sensitive eyes.

But despite his attempt to never wake up and leave his own ideal world, Ryo's eyes opened, and revealed his gentle mocha orbs. He quietly sighed to himself, and then slowly sat up. His arms reached towards the ceiling as he tried to wake himself up. He glanced at his electric clock.

It was a birthday or Christmas gift from his father one year. Its purpose was to make sure he woke up one time every day, but his body had always forced him to awaken on time, so there was really no need for it. But he did not want to upset his father, so he accepted his present with a bright fake smile.

He shifted his body so he was sitting on the side of his bed. He stared at the carpeted floor for a moment, and then stood up and yawned.

As he slowly walked over towards the door to his room, a shiver ran down his spine. As his heart thumped harder than a race horse, he carefully turned around and glanced at his dresser. Sitting on top was the Millennium Ring, begging to be put on.

Ryo could feel it tugging at him to come closer, but the young boy knew better. He didn't even have to wear the artifact for the spirit to take over his body. All he needed to do was hold it, and he would begin to have gaps in between his memories.

He swallowed, and then slipped through the door and shut it. He dragged his body slowly down the steps, and then into the kitchen. He grabbed the loaf of bread from on top of the counter, pulled out two slices, and then dropped them into the silver toaster.

As he waited for the toast to pop out, he walked over and opened the fridge. He pulled out a round yellow container labeled _BUTTER._ He set it on the cold counter, then pulled out a drawer, and grabbed a shiny butter knife out. He set it on top of the round lid when he heard his food pop out.

When his toast was on the white plate, he turned around and gasped.

Sitting next to the butter was the Millennium Ring. Ryo sighed and ignored it as he spread the butter over his food.

He knew that simply leaving it in his room wasn't going to stop it. But it was worth a try.

After he finished his breakfast, he changed into his school uniform left his apartment. He walked down the carpeted hallway and out of the building.

As he walked down the road to his school, a cool October breeze whispered through his long white locks, and old colorful leaves danced along with the wind. Autumn was defiantly here.

Ryo walked through the school gates and reached his classroom. He gripped the cold medal doorknob, and as he pushed the door open, a frightening green monster face popped in front of his face, starling the hikari.

The "monster" began laughing without moving its mouth, and when it peeled off its rubbery skin, Jonouchi's face appeared.

"Ya shudda seen yer face!" he laughed. Ryo snorted. He should have expected it. Ever since he transferred to the school, every Halloween, either Jonouchi or Honda would jump him with a mask.

"You should keep it on," Ryo retorted, "It makes your face look better!" Jonouchi frowned as Honda and Yugi snickered at the white-haired boy's comeback.

He made his way over to his desk with Jonouchi, instantly forgiving him, where the others were waiting for them.

"Alight," Honda asked, "so what are the plans for this wonderful Halloween evening?"

"I heard about a party tonight," Anzu suggested. Jonouchi turned his nose away.

"Nah," he growled, "we always do something spooky and creepy!"

"I heard about this one house that was built by ghosts," Yugi explained, "and there's this creepy graveyard surrounding the entire building. It's about an hour and a half away. Waddya guys say?" Honda and Jonouchi nodded immediately, but Anzu wasn't too sure.

"I wanted to do something we all could've done together," she admitted, "I don't think we should leave Ryo again-"

"I can go," he yelled, "What makes you guys think I can't handle it?" Jonouchi grinned.

"Alright," he dared, "but if you come, you have to sit on top of the mausoleum in the cemetery. Deal?" A cold shiver ran down Ryo's spine, but he nodded anyway.

"Excellent," Jonouchi shouted with delight, "then we'll meet at Yugi's house at eight! Just when it's starting to get dark!"

"Why is it always my house?" Yugi pouted.

"'Cause everyone knows where it is!" his friend smiled. Another shiver ran down Ryo's spine, but he ignored it. But what he couldn't ignore was a small voice whispering two simple words into his ear…

_…Don't go…_

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Ryo ran down the sidewalk, heading straight for the game shop where Yugi lived. His backpack pounced on his back as he dodged children in costumes, walking up to buildings and saying the magic words of the night. He panted as he tried to glance at his watch. He knew that he was at least thirty minutes late.

He had always seemed late, no matter what it was. It's all entirely his fault, all except never keeping track of time. The apartment he lives at doesn't allow bikes to "dirty up the nice carpets", and he hardly has enough money to feed himself let alone call a cab.

He began to sprint faster when he could see the bright lights from the shop. He burst through the doors and rested on his knees, trying to catch his breath again.

"Alright," he panted, "I'm here." He looked up, and no one was downstairs. _Either I can't read my watch, or they went on ahead without me. _He groaned at the thought of running all the way to the house. Especially all alone. At night.

He shook himself, trying to calm his nerves. He sighed and walked out of the building. He turned in the direction of the old house. A strange eerie wind blew as he began going in that direction.

The amount of happily squeaking children and decorated houses declined the farther he walked. Pretty soon, the houses themselves began to disappear, until Ryo was left with only the night to keep him company. He had to reach in his bag for a flashlight when all of the streetlights abandoned him. Another wind flew by, but Ryo shook it off as he continued down the dark, lonely path.

Eventually, he reached old, rusty gates with a creepy sign reading _CEMETERY _above. Behind the black bars were many old headstones. He tried to look farther in, but he couldn't see a house, a mausoleum, or any of his friends. Are they already inside the house? That is, if there is one.

The dark autumn leaves harshly whispered in the ancient oaks as Ryo tried to see if he could open up the gate. As he searched the bars, he found an old, rotting sign. The letters were a bit faded, but when he shined his flashlight on the wood, the sign was a little bit more legible.

As he was decoding the secret message, the silence of the night was killed when a small twig snapped. Ryo looked up for a moment, and his eyes flashed back and forth. Nothing happened, so he nervously went back to the sign.

Until a hand slapped on his shoulder. He tried to quickly turn around and shake the hand off, but a pair came, one silencing his mouth, and the other grabbing the other shoulder, preventing him from facing the owner.

His body shivered all over as he tried to lash out and free himself. But it was all pointless.

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**A/N: MUHAHAHAHAHAHA! EVIL CLIFFHANGER! :D I had fun writing! I love horror… and it's only just begun. Please review and let me know what you think!**


	2. The Graveyard

**A/N: I left you guys on a major cliffhanger! X3 I'm so mean… Oh well! Now you shall know! **

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_**Chapter 2: The Graveyard**_

Ryo's body shook as his frightened eyes tried to find his capturer. He realized that trying to lash out with his arms wasn't going to help, but, what about his legs…?

He started kicking back and forth with one leg, fueled with fear and fury. He never made contact with anything but air.

He became so terrified that he almost missed the familiar laughing coming from behind him. He paused, and the hands let him go. He quickly ran back to the sign where he dropped his flashlight, and he quickly shone the bright light in the direction where he came.

"Ow!"

"Geez, man, put that light down!" Ryo set the light on the ground. He recognized those voices.

"Honda," Ryo mumbled, "Jonouchi?" The other teens rubbed their eyes.

"Serves you guys right," Ryo called, "That wasn't funny!"

"Aw, come on, Ryo," Jonouchi teased, "It was just a little joke!"

"Does it look like I'm laughing?" the white-haired boy pouted. He was mad and frustrated at Jonouchi Honda, but he was really much more upset at himself for falling for their unfriendly scheme. Then again, he was at the doorstep of a creepy graveyard, and who knows what's really lurking around.

"What's going on?" The boys turned towards the path they went down and saw two other beams of light being carried by Yugi and Anzu.

"Is everyone alright?" Yugi asked. Anzu turned to Ryo and smiled.

"Oh good," she said, "You're here! We were worried you weren't going to make it."

"I was a bit late," he confessed, "so I thought that you guys would be here already." Jonouchi shook his head.

"Nope," he grinned, "we went to go get somethin' to eat first!"

"Are you hungry, Ryo?" Yugi asked. The other hikari shook his head.

"That's actually why I was late," he lied. He actually wasn't sure if he really wanted to come. The whole thing made him feel sick to his stomach and make his entire body freeze up.

"Have you been here long?" Anzu asked.

"No," he answered, "I've only been here for a few minutes. I was looking for a way to open the gate when I found an old wooden sign." Everyone stared at him for a moment, making him feel very uncomfortable.

"What did it say?" Yugi mumbled at last. Ryo was relieved that he'd broken the silence for him.

"The letters are very faded," he answered, "I was trying to read it" – he shot an annoyed glance at Honda and Jonouchi – "when those two idiots to pull their Halloween prank on me!" The mentioned two shrugged with embarrassed grins on their faces. Ryo rolled his eyes and walked back up to the rotting sign with the others behind him.

He grabbed the sign and flashed the flashlight over it. He forced his mocha eyes to make words from the faded ink and old wood.

It felt like he had been standing there for a hundred lifetimes, but he finally found the words within. Though he really wished he hadn't.

"…Well?" Jonouchi asked impatiently. Ryo slowly turned towards the others.

"'Private cemetery'," he recited, "'Stay out… or in'." Honda and Jonouchi had dumbstruck faces, while Yugi seemed to be lost in thought. He didn't know what Anzu thought about their mysterious message.

"It must be some prank someone pulled in order to keep people away," Jonouchi concluded.

"Yeah," Honda agreed, "but a complicated riddle isn't gonna keep us out, right guys?" Jonouchi grinned and nodded.

"I don't know," Yugi stated, "with the looks of this fence and all those chains, it looks like someone wants to keep people out."

"Are ya kiddin' Yug," Jonouchi disagreed, "look at this place! No one's owned it let alone _lived _in it for years! Maybe even decades!" Ryo gulped as another shiver raced down his back. _Decades…_

Jonouchi and Honda ran towards the chained gate and began yanking and pulling at the rusty medal. The barrier must have been old; in only a few minutes, the boys had ripped the chains off.

"All right!" Jonouchi and Honda high-fived each other and laughed. Yugi chuckled at his friends.

"Let's go!" They pushed open the gates with ease and bolted inside.

"Those two always act before they think," Anzu sighed.

"Are you guys coming or what?" Honda called out. Yugi led Anzu and Ryo into the creepy cemetery.

The air inside the gates was freezing. Feelings of anger, loss, sadness, and anxiety were all around. Even the old trees, naked of bark, seemed to be crying. The light from the flashlights seemed to be sucked away by the groaning belly of the darkness the farther they ventured into the abandoned cemetery.

They met up with Jonouchi and Honda in front of an old and lonely building. They wore childish grins on their faces.

"Alright, Ryo," Jonouchi explained, "this is the mausoleum. Ya wanna boost?" Ryo looked up. The roof was a quite a bit old, but it looked like it could hold his weight for a little bit. Honda weaved his fingers together, and the hikari gingerly placed his foot on his friend's hands. He summoned as much muscle as he could into his leg and arms, and he eventually scrambled up on top of the ancient building.

He breathed a sigh with relief as he gazed down at his friends.

"Now what?" he asked. Everyone just looked at each other.

"Maybe we should stick around and see if any ghostly ghouls decide to show up," Honda joked.

"Well we can't stay out all night," Yugi stated, "I told Grandpa that we'd be back before 12, and if I'm late, I'll never hear the end of it!"

"Yeah," Anzu agreed, "I told my parents ten o'clock."

"In that case," Jonouchi asked, "anyone wearing a watch?"

"Nope."

"Uh-uh."

"Sorry."

"I am," Ryo said as he pulled his flashlight to shine on his wrist, "let's see… it's about-" he was cut off when a strange, powerful force slammed into his back, making him fly off the mausoleum. He landed face-first into the cold dirt. He quickly got on his feet, his instincts telling him to run in the opposite direction, but fear froze his entire body.

"Hey Ryo," Jonouchi growled, "Ya weren't supposed to get off yet!"

"Something pushed me!" he protested. Jonouchi snorted.

"Oh yeah," he challenged, "then I'm gonna find whoever 'pushed you', and give them a piece of my mind!" He started running towards the back of the mausoleum and vanished.

"Come on," Yugi encouraged, "we've gotta find him before he gets hurt!" The rest of the group ran in the same direction as their friend.

The farther they ran, the thicker the mist became, making it harder to see in front of them. The only way Ryo knew he was following the living was hearing all of their hard breaths as they pressed on.

As he followed his friends deeper and deeper into the cemetery, his arm bumped into an old tree. He quietly cringed, but not because of the bark. In fact, there was no bark.

The entire tree was scorched like a used match.

The white-haired boy checked his arm, and to his relief, his sleeve only felt a little warm. But now he had a new problem.

He had fallen behind with the group, and with the eerie mist blocking his view, it would be nearly impossible to find an exit, let alone his friends. But he scanned the area anyway. He froze.

He thought he saw a small human figure not far away, but when he blinked, it was gone. He turned around and nearly jumped right out of his own pale skin. The "human figure" was back, and right in front of him!

His heart rate began to increase. He could feel himself sweat and stiffen even more as he watched it lift its little arm. It seemed to have pointed past the burnt tree. But why?

Ryo thought it had mumbled something to him, but he wasn't sure. He gulped and looked in the direction. He didn't see anything, but he could clearly hear voices. Familiar voices.

His friends weren't that far away! He turned back to whatever it was that helped him, but it was gone. Another shiver ran down his frightened spine. Whatever came to him, it obviously didn't want to harm anyone or anything. He gulped and began walking towards his group. He was greeted by Yugi and Honda. He looked over and saw Jonouchi standing next to the other hikari.

"Oh good," Ryo sighed with relief, "you're fine!" Jonouchi spat on the ground.

"'Course I'm fine," he bragged, "I just made two guard _puppies _run away with their tail's between their legs, that's all!" He laughed at his own joke. But their light moment was short-lived when Honda mumbled two words:

"Where's Anzu?"

Ryo's blood turned into crimson ice. Where was she? Then he remembered the figure. She must not have helped her. Or worse… Ryo shuddered and pushed the thought away.

The sound of a girl's scream pierced the silence of the dead graveyard. Without a word, the boys began racing towards the owner. Ryo noticed that they had passed by the scorched tree again. Why was he so fascinated with it? It was just burnt wood.

Not long, they ran into a large wooden building. For Jonouchi, literally.

He began cursing with rage as Honda stood there and laughed at him, making the blonde even more infuriated. Yugi searched the wall.

"It looks like the side of a house," he reported, "a very big house."

"I bet if we go around one of the corners," Ryo theorized, "then maybe we can go in and see who owns this place."

"And find Anzu," Yugi added. The other hikari nodded.

"Come one, guys!" the short boy called. Jonouchi and Honda stopped yelling and followed the hikaris. As they walked around one corner, he swore that he could the small figure again, this time slowly shaking its head back and forth. He tried to push the thought out of his mind, but it disturbed him too much.

What was it trying to say? Anzu wasn't in there? It's not actually a house?

…Or not to go inside?

It frightened him to the bone, but they have to find Anzu soon. It wouldn't hurt to look, right?

Eventually, they came across a pair of old lion statues, with one missing its head and the other a paw, as well as stairs that led up to a pair of doors.

Every board of old wood moaned as they walked up to the ancient doors of the dead dcaying house.

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**A/N: MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! :D ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER! This is just way too much fun. And really the only piece of Halloween I'll get this year. **

**Apparently, you guys are all on review-strike or something. (Other than the awesome people who reviewed last chapter :]) REVIEW! PLEASE!**


	3. The House

**A/N: I am going to be so freaking mean about the cliffhangers. :D THEY'RE SO MUCH FUN! Special thanks to ireneotaku for helping me with the plot and such and such! :) **

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_**Chapter 3: The House**_

As the door eerily creaked open, it revealed a space completely pitch black. The only light were the beams from Yugi's and Ryo's flashlights.

"So," Honda shook, "who'd like to do the honors?" Everyone glanced nervously at each other. None of them had any idea what was hiding in wait for them in the dark shadows beyond the eerie doors.

Finally, Yugi began to creep on the creaky floor boards inside. Everyone else followed inside once the small hikari signaled the okay. The flashlight beams were small, and showed little more than then wooden floor and the occasional glimpse of a wall.

A huge light flashed on unexpectedly, exposing every little detail it could touch. The group jumped in shock.

"My, my," a voice laughed, "most often, the children knock on the door, say 'trick or treat', and then ask for candy." Ryo and the others began glancing around, racing to find the source of the strange message.

A woman stepped out of the shadows and smiled at the boys.

"Hello there," she greeted. The woman looked perhaps in her early thirties, with pale skin and long, very light blonde locks. Her eyes were a dark cocoa, and she wore a lovely pink formal dress with long ghost white gloves and tights to match. Nice black shoes and a pearl necklace completed her outfit.

"Hello," Yugi returned, "Sorry for breaking into your house. We're just looking for our friend. We got separated and-"

"It's no problem," the woman cut in, "and your friend is just fine."

"Yugi! Guys!" A girl shouted as she ran to join the group.

"Anzu," Yugi shouted, "you're okay!" Anzu smiled.

"I had gotten separated in the creepy mist, and I thought I kept seeing creepy shadows. Then I bumped into Mrs. Bolrigard, and she brought me inside and told me to sit tight while her husband went out to find you guys."

"How can he navigate through all of that mist," Honda asked, "We kept bumping into everything there was to bump into, including the house!" Mrs. Bolrigard laughed.

"Oh my," she giggled, "I'm sorry about all of that. You see, it's actually smoke from many smoke machines hidden all over the property."

"Why do you have a bunch o' those things?" Jonouchi asked.

"We like to use them for Halloween," she explained, "but for the rest of the year, we rent them out to bands or other people who want to use them." Jonouchi nodded his head, accepting the answer. Either that or it was too complicated for him.

"Please," Mrs. Bolrigard offered pointing to a few chairs, "have a seat. I'm sure you're all tired from running around. Would you like any refreshments?" Honda and Jonouchi perked up and began listing so many treats and sodas Ryo lost count. But their mysterious hostess just laughed, and promised to return with all of their needs.

For the first few minutes as they settled in their seats, everyone was eerily silent.

"Isn't she so nice?" Anzu smiled.

"We'll see if she is if she gets everything we asked for," Jonouchi announced. Honda nodded in agreement. Anzu laughed.

"What about you, Yugi?" she asked.

"Well," he responded, "She does seem like a kind person, but I think she's a bit odd." A spark of frustration twitched in Anzu's eyes as she stared down Ryo.

"What do you think?" she asked darkly. Her stare felt as if she was pinning him down just with her brute anger. Ryo swallowed and glanced around the room. Jonouchi and Honda have now wandered into their own conversation, and Yugi was looking at Anzu with a confused look on his face. He knew exactly what he had to say to make her stop. But that wasn't anything he really thought.

He had been nervous around their hostess the whole time they were inside the house. Her shell depicted a nice woman willing to help frightened children, but…

"W-Well," he stumbled, "I-I think we should leave as soon as we can." Anzu's eyes lit on fire fueled by anger and disagreement. This was obviously not the answer she wanted.

She grabbed his shirt and began forcefully pushing him, and then pulling him back over and over again.

"You're wrong," she roared, "She's a kind woman! You're wrong! She wants to help! You're wrong! You're wrong! YOU'RE WRONG!"

"Anzu calm down," Yugi begged.

"Yeah, come on," Jonouchi yelled, "You were asking him for his opinion! No need to get violent!"

Ryo felt that if he would dare open his mouth, he would vomit. Or worse, provoke Anzu even more.

Their fight came to a sudden stop when they heard footsteps. But they weren't heavy enough to be Mrs. Bolrigard's, and they were joined by hard paw steps.

The teens looked up to see a little girl, probably around seven or eight, accompanied by a large black dog. The girl's dress was blue with ruffles, which went nicely with the white tights and black shoes. She also wore a golden locket and cute blue bow in her golden hair. She would look just like a large doll if she dared to smile.

She walked closer and handed Honda a large silver platter covered with a verity of different treats and bottles of soda pop. Honda drooled.

"Wow, thanks," he smiled, "hey Jonouchi, food's here!" But his blonde friend didn't respond, even when Honda teased him with a chocolate bar. He just continued to stare at what seemed to be nothing. Frustrated, Honda followed his odd gaze.

He was staring at the dog.

"What's wrong, Jonouchi," Honda teased, "Does he remind you of someone you had a crush on or something?" But Jonouchi still didn't respond. He just continued staring at the black dog.

"Ya think it's gonna do something if you look away, dude?" Honda asked. Jonouchi blinked, looking a bit startled. Then he smiled.

"Hey look," he said as he reached for some candy, "all of our treats are here! Isn't Mrs. Bolrigard so nice?" He bit off some of the candy and smiled.

"Dude," Honda said, "You always said you hated peppermint." Ryo could feel his whole body turn sheet white, and he felt his blood run cold.

Something was wrong. Very wrong.

He glanced over at the little girl, as if staring her would frighten her enough to explain what was really going to happen to them. But she hardly blinked let alone move her lips and form words. Her deep blue eyes glanced at Ryo for a second, and he thought he saw surprise and shock reflecting from her irises.

But why? And why was he thinking that she looked familiar? Some child actress? A neighbor?

"Why aren't you out trick-or-treating with the other kids?" Yugi asked her. She just blinked and stared at him.

"Maybe she's deaf," Honda suggested, "she might not be able to read your lips."

"Well," Yugi thanked, ignoring his taller friend, "thanks for the treats!" She looked back up and nodded, but she still refused to smile for them. She looked at Ryo again, and she tugged on his sleeve.

"You want me to come with you?" his voice shook as he asked. She nodded. The girl continued tugging on his sleeve until he stood up and began walking behind her. The dog stayed behind as it was petted and loved by Jonouchi and Anzu.

She never let go of Ryo's arm as she guided him through the house. Though he saw no need for her guidance; the halls seemed simple enough.

The girl seemed to have been dragging Ryo all over the house for an eternity. He bumped into her when she stopped.

She was standing in front of closed door. She stepped aside watched him, as if telling the hikari to open the door. Ryo's hand shook as he reached for the cold knob, and his heart pounded inside his chest so hard and loud, he swore the others could here it, too.

Eventually, he grabbed the cold medal knob and slowly turned it. The door groaned, and the atmosphere began to change from slightly creepy to completely terrifying. But Ryo had yet to discover why.

He looked at the girl with frightened eyes, and she looked away, as if she was guilty. But why would she? She was just a little girl. She looked back up at him, and grabbed his arm. She began walking into the room. But Ryo didn't move.

When she tugged on his arm and he still didn't come in with her, she paused and looked behind her. However, she didn't let go of his wrist.

"Why do you want me to go in?" he asked. She looked ahead again, and then back, this time, it looked as if tears were beginning to swell her little eyes.

"Oh, I didn't mean to make cry!" he took back. He sighed, and slowly followed the girl inside.

Once he was completely inside, the girl ran back into towards the door. Shock and fear told Ryo to follow her, or he'll be trapped in that room… forever.

"Hey, wait!" he yelled.

She shut the door, but she was still inside with him. He was slightly relieved that she was still inside, but he was still uneasy.

Why would she want the door shut?

She turned around and faced Ryo. She pointed towards the back of the room. His head turned in the direction of her finger.

He saw an old window with cracks allowing some of the mist or smoke or whatever inside. In front of the window, there was an old wooden chair facing it, and a young girl sat on it, gazing out the window. It didn't seem like she ever noticed their presence. But why? There wasn't anything out there, especially something that could distract someone to where they aren't aware of their surroundings.

The only thing that wasn't creepy was that Ryo knew who this girl is.

"Anzu!" he yelled as he walked over.

"Anzu, what are you doing here? I thought you were with-" He froze when he saw her face.

She was completely pale, and blood streaks seeped from both corners of her mouth. Her eyes were blank and soulless.

His body began to shake when he saw the brown blood-soaked handle of a knife sticking out of her gut.

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**A/N: How was that? Yeah, I kinda changed it up to where I thought it made sense and made me happy. :3 Please, please, PLEASE review! :D**


	4. The REAL House

**A/N: Well, it seems like this the second to last chapter. I've been having fun making this, even though some other ideas have come along that have been begging to crack so I can work on them. But I MUST finish this! (Keep in mind, wonderful people of the internet, I've been working on this since SEPTEMBER, and when I wrote this, it was the beginning of October) Enough of my babbling, and let's get on with the story.**

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_**Chapter 4: the REAL House**_

Ryo clapped his hands over his mouth to prevent himself from screaming his lungs out. He didn't know what to think anymore. How could this be Anzu? She was with the others… this has to be some trick. Maybe the little girl wasn't as sweet as they thought she was.

His hands flew down to his sides and clenched into fists. He swung his head to face the girl as he began to yell.

"How dare you freak me out like-" He was cut short by the girl. She no longer looked human.

…At least, not alive.

She was covered in patches of dead white skin and rotting blue, with loose stitches holding her together. One of her eyes was blue, and the other was brown, but both colors were hollow and dead. Her once-pretty dress was covered in tears and mud, her shoes gone. The absence of her ribbon caused her hair to fall into her face.

The reason for her speechlessness was revealed, too; her mouth was sewed completely shut.

Ryo's body shook from her image. He wasn't sure if he should be scared of her, or feel sorry for her. She must have a truly horrifying death to look like that.

She walked over to him, and when she began to reach to tug on his sleeve, he flinched away. She pulled her own hand back, and looked down at floorboards.

"O-Oh," Ryo began to apologize, "I-I'm sorry. I-it's just-" But the girl began to fade. The hikari began to panic. He begged for her to stay, and reached out to try and grab her.

His hand slipped through the last mist of her form as she joined with the air. It felt as if Ryo's entire world had frozen when she disappeared, and questions began to rush through his head so fast he couldn't comprehend them all.

Where did she go? What all is all an illusion? What's going to happen now that's she's gone?

Then a stab of guilt shot through his heart.

"…Why does this always happen to me," he mumbled, and then glanced at Anzu, "and why do I always seem to drag others in with me?" Tears began to fall down his face as his painful memories began to come back; the RPG, the ring… everything. Then he looked at his fallen friend, and his perspective changed.

He had to fight if he wanted to live. He closed her eyelids, and then began to walk up to the door. He or law enforcement would have to come back for her later.

He had no idea what was out hiding in the dark outside the room, but he burst through anyway. Probably into one of the most terrifying sites he had ever seen. Now he knew why the girl wanted to lead.

All around him were doors; all over the walls, on the ceiling, and even on the floor. There were also staircases that reached all the way up to the ceiling, going nowhere in particular. And he noticed a significant lack of windows.

He looked left and right, as if something would pop out and suddenly tell him which way is out. He chose the left, and began running straight ahead. He tripped on a few doorknobs here and there, but he had no thought of stopping. All his body was ordering was find a way out.

"…Ryo."

He stopped when he heard his name.

"…Ryo." He heard the voice from behind. His mind told him not to turn around. It will haunt him. It will terrify him. It may kill him.

But he just had to look.

He faced a girl. A girl with short brown hair and blue eyes. And a knife sticking out of her walking corpse.

Anzu followed him? How? She's dead!

She stuck out her cold dead hand to Ryo and smiled.

"Come with me, Ryo…" Blood spilled out of her mouth and splashed onto the wooden flooring below her as she spoke.

"You have yet to see the best part…" Ryo's body was frozen as she spoke. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Then again, all of reality seems to have gotten lost within the cold mist of all of this terror.

When she took a wobbly step towards him, he had a sudden rush of energy, and he turned on his heel and began running. Running as fast as he possibly could.

"Ryo," she kept calling, "Ryo…" He covered his ears and continued sprinting down the messed up house. His mind began to lose sight of the strange upside-down doors and twisted stairs. All he could concentrate on was running.

He eventually tripped again, this time falling on his face. It seemed to have woken him from his running trance, but he now had a hurt face, and he had no idea what he tripped on. All he knew was that it was not a door knob, and it was hot. Very hot.

He stood up, and he scanned the area for Anzu. Or, what's left of Anzu.

When she didn't appear, he tried to look for whatever had tripped him. But for once, there were no doors on the floor to snatch him. He had to clap his hands over his mouth when he found what grabbed him instead.

An arm. Unfortunately, it was familiar, too.

"Jonouchi," the hikari mumbled to himself. _Well, at least he's not up and walking, trying to grab me,_ he thought to himself. He closed his eyes, ashamed of himself for thinking that.

"You're right, unfortunately."

Ryo's eyes flashed open, and his body tensed up.

"It's alright, it's just me," he heard. He gulped and quickly turned around, ready to run the opposite direction. Instead, relief flooded his body.

"Yugi," he mumbled. No wait, something was different about him. He wasn't dead, thank goodness, but he seemed to have a braver, more serious look on his face. Could this be the "other Yugi" he had heard about?

The yami nodded.

"P-Please," Ryo begged, "please tell me that you see it too!"

"Don't worry," Yami responded, "I can see it, too." Ryo sighed with relief. So he wasn't crazy after all.

"But how did you find me in this mess?" the hikari asked.

"I wouldn't have been able to find you if it wasn't for…" he started. Ryo looked at him with confusion, and then he felt someone tug his sleeve. He looked down and saw the girl. He felt as if was going to cry, seeing her clench on his shirt.

"I'm sorry," he told her over and over, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…" She gave a slight nod, indicating that she did hear him, and that she accepts his apology. He looked back over at the arm.

"It doesn't even look like it's burnt," Ryo mumbled.

"It's the work of the dog," Yami explained, "Unfortunately, Jonouchi looked at it one too many times." Ryo was still a bit confused, but he forced himself to stay quiet.

He felt the silent girl tug on his shirt yet again, but this time she continuously pulled, each tug stronger than the first. She looked up at Yami.

"She wants us to move," he said.

"Move? Where?" Ryo asked. A gust of wind blew by from the direction where Ryo came from, and it seemed to be enough to frighten the girl away. But this time, she physically ran around a corner.

"She wants us to follow her!" Yami yelled before taking after her. Ryo was right behind them. It was the only lead he really had, and he couldn't stand being alone in this horror-filled house any longer.

His heart pumped harder and harder, and his muscles screamed, but pure fright ordered him to run, and go with the others.

He couldn't remember which hallway lead to the other, which staircases they took, or anything like that. He gained respect for this girl for memorizing this messed up maze.

After what seemed like hours, she finally stopped. She pointed up ahead of them.

"What is that?" Ryo panted. Yami shrugged, but the girl still pointed in the same direction. Yami walked up to it and pushed. They were the doors that led out! The hikari sighed with relief. He had never seen a more wonderful sight.

As they ran out, hope filled his whole body; the girl would lead them through the cemetery, and then the other most beautiful sight will come; the outer gate.

But all of his hope quickly vanished as a hand grasped his ankle. He fell and screamed as it began dragging him back inside.

* * *

**A/N: Oh, I just killed you guys. :3 don't worry, that's the last cliffhanger. Honda wasn't important enough to get killed. Everyone kinda "forgot" about him. Please leave a review! Pretty pretty PLEASE! Thanks!**


	5. The Truth

**A/N: Looks like this is the end for this Halloween… I love this holiday so much, that I've got plans for NEXT year! :D Anyway, enjoy the conclusion! :) **

_**Chapter 5: The Truth**_

Ryo's nails scrapped into the floorboards as his body was being dragged into the house of hell to relive the nightmare… over and over again. He didn't know how much longer he could take of this torture.

Through his painful tears, he could see Yami and the girl turning around and gasping in horror. He ran over to the frightened hikari, grabbed his wrists, and began pulling. However, it had no effect, and half of Ryo's body was back in the terrorizing darkness.

The white-haired boy was so terrified that he did not let go of Yami, even though he knew that he would just drag him down to hell with him.

A spark lit in Yami's eyes, and he stared down at Ryo.

"Why hasn't that Ass-of-a-Spirit come yet?" he asked him. Ryo looked up with scared eyes.

"I-I didn't bring the Ring with me," he choked. His torso was now slipping into darkness. He held his breath as he faced hell.

He saw a flash of dead white and blue, and noticed that the little girl was standing next to him. She climbed on top of him, and then all of a sudden, the tugging sensation was gone. He had full control of his legs again. He didn't let himself breathe before he scrambled up after she got off. He stared at the girl as he tried to speak.

"H…How?" He asked her. He knew he wouldn't get his answer in words, but she was very good at charades, so he figured he could come to a conclusion from her acting.

She looked at him, and then spread her arms out, as if she was about to hug him. Or stop something bigger than her.

"Come on," Yami yelled, "or do you want that thing to come back and finish the job?" Ryo gulped, and began following the little girl through the graveyard, this time Yami taking the back.

It seemed as if they had been running for ages, and Ryo's heart and lungs felt as if they would burst through his pale skin at any moment as he panted harder than a bulldog running ten miles. The hikari glanced behind him at the yami, who seemed to be doing well, but he could tell that even he was starting to have problems breathing as he ran. But at least they could breathe through their mouths.

The girl continued running and dodging headstones and dead trees. Eventually, she collapsed on her knees, and Ryo could hear heavy breathing coming from her little nose. He wasn't sure what to do, so he just stood and tried to catch his own breath as Yami came up, panting as well.

"I… I don't understand," he breathed at the yami, "Why is she having a hard time _breathing_? I… I thought she's…" he couldn't bring himself to say the word, especially in front of her.

"She's not completely dead," Yami explained, "she still has patches of flesh on her." Shock ran through Ryo's body as if he was struck by lightening. Not completely dead? How can she have living flesh on her?

All of a sudden, the girl stood up, and began tugging on Ryo's sleeve frantically again. He looked at her, and she wore a face of pure terror.

"What's wrong?" Yami asked. The girl, still clinging to Ryo's arm, pointed in the direction they had come from. A large, deep howl broke the dead silence of the forever rested. She looked back up at Ryo, and continued tugging his sleeve. He knew what she meant; _we have to run! Or the dog will get you! _He nodded at her, and she let go and began running again. Ryo took a deep breath, and began running after her with Yami not far away.

His muscles screamed for mercy, but he refused to listen. They passed the mausoleum that dreaded building that first led them into this horrifying nightmare. And cost three people their lives. He received a boost from his fury from the sight of the origins of the night from hell.

Eventually, the girl stopped dead in her tracks, and pointed forward. Ryo looked at her as Yami walked a few paces forward. He hit the old medal bars of the front gates! Relief and happiness flooded the hikari's body. He looked at the girl and smiled, showing his a thousand thanks. He wasn't sure but he was sure that she was smiling back.

Another evil howl from the beast of the underworld broke their happy moment. The girl tugged at Ryo's sleeve for the last time, and pointed towards the exit. She swung her head behind, and began pushing the boy towards the gates. He and Yami ran out, and the little girl began pulling the gates shut, and putting the chains back.

Ryo gasped in horror as he saw a larger figure, most likely "Mrs. Bolrigard," drag the tiny body away. He could hear her screams in his head. Tears flew off his face as he ran for his own life. He didn't feel like it was right to leave her, but what could he do to help her?

When Ryo and Yami were completely out of site of the entire property, the hikari dropped to his knees. His tears became faster, and he could feel himself begin to choke.

"I'm sorry," he wailed into the night, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry I left you! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He continued to do this pitiful cry until Yami grabbed his shirt and began to forcefully shake his body back and forth.

"Ryo! Ryo," he yelled at him, "Ryo!" The hikari moved his lips, but no words passed through his teeth.

He heard a loud crash, and then darkness.

Ryo gasped as he sat up at his desk at his school.

"Ryo," the teacher scolded, "if you're going to sleep through my lectures, try and control your yelling and moaning!" She grumbled to herself as she slapped a ruler in one of her palms, most likely the hikari's strange alarm clock.

He began examining the classroom, as if he really didn't believe he was awake. And then a hard thought smacked his forehead.

The mausoleum, the graveyard, the house, the girl… everything was just a dream! A nightmare… his imagination. It felt as if one thousand pounds was lifted off his shoulders. He slumped in his chair and sighed.

Once it was their lunch break, he ran all around the campus in search of all of his friends. He felt as he was about to cry when he saw them relaxing under an autumn oak. They all looked up and waved to him. He smiled and joined them.

"Heard ya fell asleep in yer last class," Jonouchi laughed, "nice!" Ryo grinned as his face turned red with embarrassment.

"You seem to be in such a good mood," Anzu teased, "what's up?" He sighed as he was about to explain what parts he could remember about his agonizing nightmare, but Jonouchi cut him off.

"He's just psyched about tonight!" he laughed. Ryo froze, and then stared at the proud blonde.

"W-what were your plans?" the hikari shook.

"We're gonna go check out this 'haunted' cemetery!" Honda announced. A huge shiver ran down his spine. A cemetery…

"And they say that if you sit on the mausoleum, a soul from beyond the grave will push you off!" Jonouchi added in his haunting voice. Honda and Jonouchi laughed.

"We wanna see if that stuff's real 'er not," the blonde explained, "Ryuji backed out, but the rest o' us is goin'. Waddya say, Ryo?" His body shivered as remembered visions from his dream. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"Sorry guys," he pretended to laugh, "but I'm too much of a coward to go do something scary like that. Besides, there are kids in my apartment building, and I promised them the best candy in the building. I can't let my neighbors down!" Jonouchi and Honda snorted in frustration, but Yugi looked thoughtful.

"Y'know what," the tri-colored boy concluded, "I think I have to step out, too. I need to help out my grandpa with handing out candy. I promised him." Jonouchi looked at his best friend in shock.

"Yug, I never thought that _you _would give up!" he yelled. Yugi shrugged.

"A promise is a promised," he responded. His blonde-haired friend's eyes softened, and he nodded.

"Awright, fine," he agreed, "so that means that me, Honda, and Anzu are still in this, right?" The other two nodded. A thought entered Ryo's mind as he said that. _Jonouchi, Honda and Anzu…_ And then he realized the pattern.

"You can't go!" he slipped out. Everyone looked at him with confused eyes.

"Why not?" Anzu asked gently.

"Just 'cause ya don't havda guts doesn't mean you can drag us down, too," Jonouchi snorted. That shut him up. It wasn't like he could explain why and not make himself look like a freak even more. He chose to just stare at the grass as a gnawing fear swelling up in his stomach.

Ryo sat in his dark living room as the television was flashing images of werewolves and vampires and such.

He had lied about the children. In fact, if he remembered right, children under the age of thirteen weren't allowed to enter the building let alone live in it. He sighed and turned the television off when he had enough of the cheesy remakes. It's not like those things scared him anymore anyway. But it wasn't the only thing bothering him.

Walked over to the wall and flipped on the lights, and then made his way back over to his couch. He slumped in, and thoughts began to race through his mind;

What if I could've talked them out of it? Could I have? What if there really wasn't anything there? No, the dreams and visions were too real… what if they never come back?

As his "what ifs" flew through his head, he began to notice that he was chewing his fingernails off. He glanced at the spot on the couch next to him, and jumped off. Then he relaxed.

It was the ring again. He sighed.

"No way am I putting that retched thing on," he mumbled. Instead, he left it on the sofa and found himself heading towards his phone.

As he picked it up and began dialing numbers, he stopped himself and set the phone back down.

He was dialing Amane's old phone number. He would always call her whenever he was troubled like this, and she always seemed to make time to listen. Ryo often felt as if she was the only person who would ever listen, and give the best advice, no matter what was troubling her big brother.

But this time, she wasn't going to pick up. He knew this, but it was an old habit of his, and he still had yet to break it. He looked back over at the ring, which was still sitting there on the couch, beckoning him to but it around his neck.

Would the evil spirit that dwelled inside it be considerate enough to listen? Ryo snorted at his own thought.

"Doubt it," he murmured. He must have been pretty desperate to even think for a second that that thing would want to help him.

He sighed, and walked over towards the artifact. He grabbed it and began to make his way up his stairs and into his empty room. He set the ring on his dresser, and crawled under the covers on his bed. He tossed and turned throughout the night.

Gentle orange sunbeams enlightened Ryo's pale face the next morning. As he began to wake himself up, his eyes drifted at his alarm clock, and his body began fueled by shock. He had overslept! He jumped out of bed, and then he relaxed as he remembered that he did not have school today. He sighed and sat down on his bed.

Eventually, he made himself stand up and get dressed. He slugged down the staircase, and found himself in his kitchen. He slipped two pieces of bread into his toaster and yawned.

He jumped when he began to hear ringing. It stopped, and as he glanced around, searching for its source, it began ringing again. He eyed his phone, and it made the ringing sound again as its screen lighted up. He grabbed it and pressed the green button.

"…Hello?" he mumbled.

"…_Ryo? Is that you?" _Yugi's voice was on the other side. He sounded frantic, as if his life was ending right then and there as he was one the phone.

"Yeah, what's wrong?" He asked.

"…_I need you to come on over to my house. Right now." _The hikari hung up. Ryo's heart began to race as he sent his phone down. What was wrong? Why did Yugi want him over?

As he grabbed his toast, slipped his shoes on, and began running down the halls, he couldn't help but feel as if it had something to do with his dream from yesterday.

His muscles ached and his heart felt as if it would not be staying in his chest much longer, but he eventually made it to Yugi's house. He sighed and rang the doorbell. He heard loud thumping as someone ran down the stairs, eager to answer his signal that he had arrived.

Yugi opened the door and invited Ryo inside. He led the white-haired hikari up the steps and into the living room where Yugi's grandfather and Ryuji were sitting and waiting for them. Yugi and Ryo joined them on the sofa, and waited for the commercials to end without a word.

Ryo's body turned cold as a young woman holding a microphone in her hand appeared on the screen. Where she was, unfortunately, was very familiar to him.

She was standing in front of two huge medal gates, which once guarded a cemetery. She stood talking as policemen and women were running in and out of the gates.

"_It seemed as if three teenagers chose the wrong house to go trick or treating to last night," _the woman explained, _"the body of Anzu Mazaki was found early this morning by a caretaker of the property, stabbed in the chest. The knife was taken my police as evidence and to search for finger prints. The body of Katsuya Jonouchi was found next to Miss Mazaki's, apparently burned from the inside. The body of Hiroto Honda has yet to be found."_

"Who on earth would have the heart to do such a thing…?" Yugi's grandpa mumbled as he shook his head from side to side. Ryuji just stared at the floor, and it looked as if Yugi was going to cry. Pure shock covered Ryo's face; but not just from the deaths of his friends, but how much they are similar to how they perished in his dream…

No, they died _exactly _how he dreamt they would! But what are the possibilities? Regret gnawed at Ryo's stomach.

Perhaps, if he did confess, than they wouldn't have died…

They quietly watched as she finished her story:

"_For now, the caretaker who found the bodies is the prime suspect on the teens' murders, however, people are saying that the legends of this creepy graveyard and house are beginning to show how much the so-called 'in-between' exists. More on this case as it unfolds." _Yugi turned the television off and sighed. Ryo remained silent, too stunned to do anything.

"It's such a tragedy that those crazy youngsters had to be the victims of some evil mad-man," Grandpa said.

"…Or the victims of true evil." Ryuji countered. Ryo was able to concentrate on what the dice player was saying, and Yugi looked at him.

"What do you mean?" Yugi asked. His friend cleared his throat.

"There's a reason why I didn't want to go," he explained, "I saw that property on a television special, and decided to a little research. Turns out, it was owned in the 1800's by this family called the Bolrigards. When their only child, Pandora, became deathly ill, her parents did everything they could, but they lost her." Ryo seemed to snap back into reality when he heard the girl's name. _Pandora Bolrigard… _Pain stabbed into Ryo's heart as he learned the girl's name. He could never ask her, and now that he knew, it made his heart sink.

"So anyway," Ryuji continued, "the girl's mother, Helen, went completely mad. She began to look up how to bring the dead back to life behind her husband's back. And she found what she was looking for. She found a spell that could bring her beloved daughter Pandora back. But it came at a price." Everyone leaned closer, as if listening to a scary story.

"You needed the body of another individual to conduct it," he said, "Turns out, her husband was murdered, which gave her the perfect opportunity to test her theory. While she told everyone that she would bury him in the cemetery on their property, she secretly put up a fake headstone and took his body to be used in the reincarnation of her daughter.

"No one is quite sure what happened, but it was obvious that her plan didn't work, she became completely deranged, and began killing everyone who stepped foot of her property; friends, relatives, you name it. Of course, police were after her, but she never seemed to leave her field. And if she didn't kill them, her evil guard dog that wondered around would.

"She kept claiming that her daughter wasn't 'quite there yet,' and claimed to hear her daughter's spirit. She spent so much money on building up the house, claiming that her daughter had wished for it.

This crazy lady and her dog died when their house was mysteriously caught on fire. People claim to see her spirit, or her daughter's, or even the dog. But almost no one, except the family who inherited the property, has ever stepped foot inside and lived." Everyone was silent, and then Yugi's grandpa burst out laughing.

"Oh please," he snickered, "who on earth would believe that crazy story! That was a good one!" Yugi just stayed silent, and Ryuji looked frustrated at the old man.

Ryo didn't know what to say or do. The story, the murders… they both fit perfectly to his dream! But why was he the only one who received it? Why didn't anyone else have it? If they all had it, or perhaps anyone but Ryo, than they would all probably still be here…

He suddenly stood up as a thought came to him. He could feel a smile grow across his face, and he chose not to stop it. He began walking towards the front door.

"Hey Ryo," Yugi asked, "Where are you going?" The other hikari turned around and grinned.

"I have some business to take care of," he smiled, "care to join me?"

"Ryo, are you crazy?" Yugi grumbled as they sneaked down the street.

"Yeah, man," Ryuji added, "I tell you what happened at that cursed place, and you want to _go there? _I think you've been spending too many hours alone or working, dude."

Ryo just ignored them. He had told them that he was going to go to the property where he had "gone to" in his dream, leaving out his reasons why and the dream. He didn't feel like it really wouldn't help if he had told them.

They eventually found yellow police tape that was labeled, _CRIME SCENE: DO NOT ENTER. _Ryo easily slipped underneath, relieved that no one was there. At least, no one who was living.

He urged them on, until they came onto the gates. Ryo's body began to shake; yes, this was defiantly the place. He sighed, digging for the courage that he had had moments ago, but he could never find it. He heard a twig snap, and while he suspected that it was just Yugi and Ryuji, he didn't take any chances.

He reached into his coat pocket, pulled out a black bag, and tossed it inside, on the other side of the gates, and began sprinting away from the property. He ran passed Yugi and Ryuji, both a bit stunned, and they quickly began to follow him, confused beyond measures. But to the white-haired hikari, it only made too much sense.

As the boys left, a little girl sitting on the mausoleum looked up. She saw the black bag one had tossed in, and she quietly jumped off and walked over to it. She picked it up, and began untying the string. It revealed a little doll with a beautiful dress and pretty bows in her black yarn hair. On her little leg was a note that read _Sorry. _The girl frowned, as if thinking that it wasn't his fault, and then a smile began to creep up on her sewn-shut mouth.

She walked back over to the mausoleum, and made herself comfortable with her new doll as a large dog appeared and lied down beneath her feet, trying to sleep.

As she studied her new friend more and more, she wished that there was a way for her to speak with the one who had given this to her, so he would know her gratefulness, and relieve his guilt.

_It wasn't your fault_, she thought, _it's mine; I wasn't able to get them out in time._

**A/N: Now that you are all creeped out and depressed, you should go read ireneotaku's fluffy Halloween special, who I owe another thank you to for the plot and Pandora's name! As some of you know (or have probably guessed by this time), this story depended on three real-life legends to take flight. They are the legend of the hellhound, the Winchester House, and the New England Mausoleum (I'm not sure if that's what it's called, but my fellow horror fans know what I'm talking about, right?). Well, I hope you had fun. Happy Halloween, and sweet dreams…**


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